In Discussion

Rowan had once considered secretly replacing one of the Rat-folk's rulers. Technically speaking, this wouldn't have been difficult. After all, the Rat-folk were what they were today because he had secretly released swarms of Swarm test subjects, which had multiplied generation after generation.

Creating a Rat-folk's body and then having its consciousness descend into it is no problem at all.

But this isn't a game; it's not just about clicking a few options. This is a complete life story for a Rat-folk, involving not only handling government affairs but also dealing with various other interpersonal relationships, such as distant relatives.

As the Overlord of the Zerg, he certainly didn't want a bunch of Rat-folk relatives. While it's said that great men don't sweat the small stuff, Rowan used to be a recluse. If he could handle these things, would he still be a recluse?

Besides, all he cares about is the progress of the Rat-folk's space technology; he doesn't care about anything else. He gave a whole bunch of reasons, but ultimately it all boils down to his chronic laziness.

However, later on, he stayed behind the scenes, guiding things secretly, and the results seemed to be very good, much better than if he had acted it out himself. So he was even less likely to do it himself.

Upon hearing Morgan's suggestion, his first thought was, "Does this old man want to play a role-playing game?" Thinking about it carefully, old Morgan was a Rat-folk himself, knew everything about Rat-folk, and was also very intelligent, had held a high position, and had even served as a royal tutor. If he were to do this himself, it might actually work.

However, he used to be from the Kerrigan Kingdom, and the current king is a female rat. Could this old man be trying something funny? How about dressing up as a woman? Hmm... I didn't expect this old man to be this kind of person.

Rowan was somewhat surprised. He had previously observed Morgan's entire life and had never discovered that the old Morgan had such a peculiar habit.

Or does he want to replace the ruler of Merican? Although it's a male rat there, he doesn't seem to be familiar with the situation. Replacing him rashly would make things difficult.

"Alright, let's hear what Morgan has to say." So he asked, "Which king do you intend to replace to unify the Rat-folk?"

Morgan, caught off guard by Rowan's question, hesitated for a moment before replying, "What replacement?"

"Didn't you just say that if the rulers of the new empire are our own people, then the problems I'm worried about won't occur?"

After thinking for a while, Morgan finally realized what he meant and said, "My Overlord, what I mean is that the Queen of the Kerrigan Kingdom was once my student, and I am confident that I can persuade her to support our cause."

This is a matter of perception between the two sides. Rowan has been around for so many years, not to mention the time he has been asleep, even just considering the time he has been conscious, that's hundreds of years. In terms of age alone, he is much older than old Morgan.

Over such a long period of time, his worldview had been completely reshaped. In his mind, only those who held the status of "nodes" in the Swarm Network deserved to be considered "one of us." The Swarm Network would guarantee the absolute loyalty of numerous "nodes" to him, freeing him from the need to expend energy on infighting, which was perfect for a lazy person like him.

Old Morgan is currently the only intelligent being in the Swarm besides Rowan who possesses the status of a "node." Therefore, when Rowan heard Morgan's suggestion, he didn't think about anything else; his immediate thought was that Morgan wanted to personally play the role of the ruler.

In Morgan's view, those who share the same or non-conflicting goals and interests and can cooperate with each other can be called his own people.

Rowan reacted quickly, immediately realizing the problem. But to him, although old Morgan was new, he had a legitimate identity and could still be trusted.

But it's a bit unreliable to rely solely on Morgan's past teacher-student relationship with a queen he's never met. He can't possibly stake his long-planned scheme and the future of the Swarm on this.

Morgan sensed Rowan's concerns and said, "My Overlord, your previous strategy was very successful. You didn't interfere too much with the Rat-folk's development and maintained your secrecy. Perhaps you can continue to maintain this identity to contact the Rat-folk. But before that, I'd like to ask a few questions to refine my ideas."

Rowan's tentacles twitched twice, signaling him to continue.

"My Overlord, my question is, after my death, how did I enter this insect's body? You just mentioned replacing the king; can I understand that I can leave this insect's body and obtain a new Rat-folk's body?"

"Huh? You didn't know?"

Looking at Morgan's Compound Eyes, which, despite being insectoid, still conveyed a sense of confusion, Rowan thought back carefully. It seemed that Morgan had lost consciousness when he entered the Swarm Network, and then he was stuffed into this insectoid body. When transmitting data just now, he only talked about the current situation and future plans, and it seemed that he didn't mention the Swarm Network at all.

Furthermore, Morgan's Swarm Network access was at the lowest level, only capable of simply calling superiors, and he couldn't consciously and autonomously enter the network. This seemed, probably, perhaps, possibly was his mistake, but he wouldn't admit it.

With a shift in his perspective, Morgan was pulled into the Swarm Network, examining the newly received data in his mind and feeling himself become a consciousness cluster.

"I can implant your consciousness into the bodies of other units in the Swarm, including the Rat-folk."

"Then why did you put me inside the insect's body?" Morgan asked, puzzled.

Would Rowan say that this was simply a perverse pleasure, that he wanted to see how other intelligent beings would react upon waking up and discovering they had been turned into insects?

"Because there are no Rat-folk bodies in stock, only insect bodies are readily available." Rowan pondered for a moment and came up with a reason.

Morgan was skeptical, but he didn't press the matter further. Instead, he asked, "If the body I'm using dies again outside, can I return here?"

This question stumped Rowan. Even the ability to insert consciousness clusters into the bodies of Swarm units was something he had just tested on Morgan. How could he know if he could find the "door" again after he died?

"Since you're the first outsider to arrive here, I don't know the answer to this question either. However, you can test it. After you go out in a bit, run a little far away and commit suicide. I think I'll know the answer then."

"Heh." Morgan chuckled dryly and said, "My Overlord, although I am not as old as you, I am considered quite old among the Rat-folk. I believe that in the not-too-distant future, there will be a more suitable young person than me to find the answer to this question. As for now, let it remain a mystery."

It seems this old guy is a coward at heart. The two are birds of a feather, chuckled, and everything was understood without a word.